


Coming Home

by VictoriannWings



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Animal Play, Canon Bisexual Character, Dom/sub, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Ivy helps Harley get over her abuse, Open Relationships, Praise Kink, References to Drugs, Restraints, again they're just briefly in there but still, ivyquinn, little space Harley, one tiny mention but still, puppy Harley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-11
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2019-06-09 01:53:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15256812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VictoriannWings/pseuds/VictoriannWings
Summary: Hiccuping, Harley tries to speak, but every word she utters comes out in broken syllables that sound more like moans and cries, like the shards of melting ice are cutting her from within. And all throughout it, Ivy is there with her, a steady hand in her matted hair, the only warmth for what feels like miles.





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my sfw petplay fic because...apparently... exactly ZERO fics exist under the Animal Play tag for Harley and Ivy. What?! I know. Guess I'll just have to write more... this is completely self indulgent but if you like it, please comment! (and if you know of any other fics, or authors willing to be commissioned for this kind of thing, please, for the love of God, hit me up).

Maybe it was the way he’d left her, curled in on herself, soaked and shivering, as her fingers went numb from the sheer cold. Knees on the hard, damp ground, every single bone in her body feels frozen. The cave shrouds her in a lonely darkness that held the broken pieces of her heart like melting ice through her fingers. 

 She’d wanted him so badly, willingly gave him everything. Every piece of her  _ ached _ for him and even more so with the way her bruised body turned to frosty despair. 

 She isn’t sure if she is crying or not, ice crystals forming on her lashes, melting down her cheeks in rivulets, pooling on her collar and chest. How could she be so stupid? It was all her fault, for trusting him, for loving him, for giving up  _ everything _ for him. 

 “Harls?”

 The voice comes from nowhere but then there’s a light and it’s warm and Harley squints at the sudden intrusion, like the sun in this miserable cave, something to thaw her and light her way but too harsh in her eyes. “Is that you?”

 And then Harley is definitely crying, hot, angry, desperate tears that pour down her face like scalding grief, and she tugs against her restraints, reaching, reaching out to the only person who ever really knew the  _ real _ her, the only person who truly understood her innermost thoughts. 

 “Red, I--I fucked up, I really screwed it all up, he left me, I hurt him--he hurt me, I--” She collapses, wrists hanging from the chains screwed into the cave wall, bare knees scraped and bloody on the damp floor. 

 Ivy kneels, too, fingers working quickly to undo the locks on Harley’s chains. “Shh. Shh, it’s okay, baby. I’m here.” Her lips find Harley’s forehead, press promises to them in the disguise of kisses. “I’m gonna get you out of here…” A soft  _ click _ and Ivy tugs the metal cuffs free of Harley’s wrists, setting them down on the ground to avoid the clatter of dropping them. 

 Naked and shivering, Harley sags against Ivy, whole body trembling. She turns her face into Ivy’s shoulder, arms clinging to her waist. Each sob wracks her body and she fists her hands in the fabric of Ivy’s clothes, weirdly warm in the freezing atmosphere. 

 Hiccuping, Harley tries to speak, but every word she utters comes out in broken syllables that sound more like moans and cries, like the shards of melting ice are cutting her from within. And all throughout it, Ivy is there with her, a steady hand in her matted hair, the only warmth for what feels like miles. 

 

Harley peels the garment made out of Ivy’s vines off her body and sinks into the warm bathtub Ivy filled for her. She turns to leave Harley to bathe, but Harley’s hand sneaks out and grabs hers. “Won’t you stay, Red? F-for...me?” she begs, bottom lip trembling, eyes wide with an assortment of emotions she couldn’t even begin to articulate. The prospect of being alone with her nakedness and bruises sends terrified shivers through her and she clings to Ivy’s hand like it’s the only thing keeping her alive.

 Ivy smiles, sinking down to match Harley’s level in the tub. “I’m only going to grab you some clothes, baby,” she purrs, and her hand cups Harley’s face. She nuzzles into it, the contact warm and reassuring. Sometimes it felt like Ivy was the only thing that made sense in her world, this life of chaos and mayhem that she led, and that thought causes the tears again, spilling from her big, scared eyes. 

 Reaching, she pulls Ivy even closer. “Pammy, I’m just so scared!” Harley sobs. Her shoulders shake. “I’m just… he… I really screwed up, Pammy, I… how will he ever forgive me?” Chest heaving with her attempts to speak, Harley whispers, “...How will  _ you _ ever forgive me?”

 And then there’s that sweet taste of Ivy’s poisoned lips, the one she’d gotten to memorise, soft at first on hers, nose just brushing hers barely. Ivy pulls back, forehead to forehead, breath warm, eyes cradling Harley’s face in cherished reassurance. “Harls, I’ve got you,” she murmurs, and her voice is like the warm water: it pulls all the aches from her body and leaves her with healing bruises and nothing more. 

 She lets Harley cry. She’s always been good about that: about giving Harley the kind of space she needs to feel her pain and grieve her love for a man who never treated her well, who never even treated her like a  _ person _ . Harley doesn’t deserve that, she realises brokenly, her wet hands tugging Ivy ever closer. She’d set herself up for failure, let herself fall for her own fucking patient,  _ knew _ how twisted he was, but her desire to figure out what made him  _ tick _ and  _ feel  _ and  _ think _ had led her down a dark and dangerous path, and now she belongs in Arkham Asylum with the rest of them. Now, she’s crazier than she’s ever been, broken and in pain, scared and useless.

_ Useless _ . She can hear that word in his voice, realises that all of these words are a blend of her own and his, and she grips Ivy more tightly. Fear coils up in her throat and she begins to shake again.

 “Harls? Baby, it’s okay,” Ivy soothes again, and her hand is in her hair, melting away the rising panic. “You are okay. I am here with you. I’m not going anywhere, okay? You know I’ll never leave you, no matter what he does to you, no matter what you do to yourself.” Ivy’s words wrap around her, warm, tight comfort that keeps her snug and safe. “You trust me, don’t you, Harls?”

 Harley looks up at her then, red eyes shimmering with the remnants of her tears. She takes in Ivy’s face, the warm, confident expression lined by her gentle smile, and hiccups. “Y-you don’t think I’m crazy, Pammy? Like totally certifiable?” Then, voice cracking a little, her temporary moment of calm shattering, she bursts into tears again and adds, “ _ Why would you want a messed up gal like myself? _ You don’t want me, Red, you just--”

 She is cut off by the gentlest tug to her hair, as Ivy nudges her to look at her again. “I mean what I say,” she commands. “I said, do you trust me?”

 Something in her quiets, settles, looking at Ivy with what was left of her confused and broken heart in her eyes, and Harley nods, another tiny hiccup punctuating her gesture. “Of course I do,” her tiny voice seems smaller in the confines of the bathroom. 

 Ivy continues her petting, humming gently. “Then will you be a good girl for me, Harls, and just relax?”

 Another tiny nod, and Harleys finds herself melting into the warmth of the water. Under Ivy’s direction, she lets her hair get wet, and Ivy’s skilled fingers massage shampoo through her scalp. Harley lets her eyes drift closed as the fatigue sinks into her bones, every piece of her aching, just now starting to feel like she can truly thaw from the cold of her abandonment in the cave. 

 It’s not long before she’s half dozing under Ivy’s incredible touch. Harley realises that the only time she’s even begun to relax is around this beautiful scientist, even--even  _ Before _ , before she even met  _ him _ , even in med school, when long nights of studying and pressure and an occasional adventure in recreational drugs became not so recreational, and yet, Ivy’s hands in her hair are better than any of the drugs she’s tried. She draws Harley’s pain and fear and anguish and Harley lets the last of her tears trickle down her face until she has no more of them, empty and calm, blank, clean. And Ivy takes her time with her, letting her multi-toned hair mix together, her soft hums vibrating through Harley’s thoughts until she can uncoil and let them all go like releasing butterflies. 

 Ivy helps her rinse her hair and Harley sits with her knees to her chest in the water. She blinks up at Ivy, heart considerably lighter. “You are doing so good for me, baby,” Ivy praises with another few strokes of her cheek. 

 Harley blushes a little, nuzzling into her touch again. “That...feels good, Red,” she whispers, the praise like a hug in her touch-starved heart. 

 “Are you ready to get out of the tub, baby?” Ivy asks gently, as she tilts Harley’s chin up so their eyes meet. 

 Harley nods again and lets Ivy pull her out of the tub and wrap her in a fluffy towel. Harley clings to the towel, holding it tightly against herself, as Ivy towel-dries her hair with another one. She lets out the water and then guides Harley into her bedroom, where she sets her on the vanity chair. 

 “Brush your hair,” she instructs. Ivy points to the hairbrush waiting for Harley, who picks it up with reverence. 

 “Are you sure? Red, it’s your brush and all, I mean, I know my hair is clean, but…”

 Ivy shakes her head. “Trust me, baby. Be a good girl and relax,” she echoes her words from earlier. “You’re already so pretty, but you’ll be  _ gorgeous _ when your hair is all brushed out,” she added, lips curling in an approving smile. 

 Harley lifts the brush and began to untangle her damp hair. 

 Ivy sorts through her dresser and pulls out a pair of soft, silver pajamas, a shirt and pants, and lays them out for Harley. “Put these on when you’re done, okay?” She changes into a thin nightgown that hugs her form and Harley can’t help but stare. Ivy has a languid way of moving, even when she’s not trying to be the sultry seductress that she presents herself as on the streets, that draws Harley’s gaze like a moth to a flame, making her insides warm and long for her. 

 Ivy tosses a look over her shoulder. “Your hair looks so pretty, Harls. Are you finished brushing?”

 Another small nod. Harley feels small, but in a good way, a safe way, and it feels nice, letting Ivy direct her like this. She pets her damp hair. “Did I do a good job?” she probes, cheeks pinking. 

 Ivy takes the brush from her and sets it back on the vanity. “A very good job,” she affirms. “My very good girl. Why don’t you get changed into these warm clothes and come curl up with me?”

 Harley makes grabbing motions with her hands and Ivy leans down to hug her close. She lets Harley curl into her for a moment before gently nudging her away and towards the clothes again. It’s important that she doesn’t stay in that damp towel, Ivy reminds her. Harley nods and reluctantly lets go. She sheds the towel onto the chair and slips into the silken pajamas; it smells like Ivy and Harley enjoys the feel of it on her skin. She curls up on Ivy’s bed, as Ivy picks up Harley’s towel and tosses it into the laundry basket in her bathroom. 

 “This bed sure is comfy, Red,” Harley notes, rolling on her back to look at Ivy upside down. 

 Ivy grins back at her, mirth sparkling in her deep eyes. “You look like a puppy like that,” she observes. 

 Harley gives a little  _ grrr BARK _ in response and Ivy crashes onto the bed beside her. “Are you my good girl? My pretty little pet?” she chuckles, and runs her hand through Harley’s hair again, who pushes her head up to meet her hand. 

 Harley makes happy panting noises in response. 

 “Come on, my puppy,” Ivy coos, nudging Harley so she can loose the blankets. “Curl up with me.”

 Ivy doesn’t have to tell Harley twice, who snuggles down under the blankets like it’s her new home, and Ivy curls against her, warm body fitting against her perfectly. She looks up at Ivy again and smiles. “I love you, Pammy,” she murmurs, wiggling. 

 Ivy trails her fingers down Harley’s side and gives her a tiny peck on the lips. Sparks thrill through Harley’s body and she giggles. “I love you too, Harleen.”

 It’s then, with Ivy’s understanding eyes on her and only her, that Harley thinks she’s already home.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed that! Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! <3


End file.
